Pinning Down the Matter/Antimatter Particle Just Got EasierOctober 08, 2014
Researchers led by Princeton University physics professor Ali Yazdani have developed an easier way to spot the much-sought-after Majorana fermion. "Theorists have proposed that Majorana can emerge at the edge of some superconductors as quasi-particles, and manipulating them can be used to test their properties as well as building interesting quantum systems that could be useful," Yazdani said.

FDA Aims to Shore Up Medical Device CybersecurityOctober 06, 2014
The Food and Drug Administration last week released long-awaited recommendations aimed at better managing cybersecurity risks to protect patient health and information. The new standards recommend manufacturers take into account cybersecurity risks as part of the design and development of a medical device. They require device makers to submit documentation to the FDA about identified risks.

Dell OEM: The Magic Is in the MysteryOctober 06, 2014
I had a chance last week to talk with the most secretive group inside Dell. They are kind of like the Q Division in the James Bond movies. These folks are pretty much unique in the industry, in that they build PCs and servers that are highly customized for firms that then place them into unusual solutions. This is the kind of machine that might go into a unique military vehicle.

Gadget Ogling: Jump Starts, Wearable Drones, Smarter Yoga and Safer FoodOctober 03, 2014
Welcome, dear readers, to a new installment of Gadget Dreams and Nightmares. On the docket this time around are a motivational wearable device, a smart yoga mat, a golfer-focused smartwatch, a drone with a difference, and a way to stop food from going bad. As always, these aren't reviews -- the ratings denote only my interest in actually using them.

Tech Advances Will Give Aging Baby Boomers More IndependenceOctober 01, 2014
The U.S. is facing a retirement wave; 76 million Baby Boomers are beginning to hit the 65-year-old mark. By 2025, the number of people between 65 and 85 will account for 16.6 percent of the population. In the U.S., the elderly prefer aging in their own home, but it can be risky. Connectivity and technology advances are enabling more sophisticated devices and tools to help consumers and caretakers.

Major Players Bid for Slice of Federal Health Records PieSeptember 30, 2014
The ambitious health information technology program now under way at the U.S. Department of Defense has garnered attention from some of the major e-commerce companies in the U.S. The DoD soon will evaluate bids for its 10-year, multibillion-dollar program to enhance its health IT capability, with an emphasis on electronic health records.

DIY Pi-Top Computer Lets Users Get Under the HoodSeptember 24, 2014
Pi-Top, a Raspberry Pi Model B+ powered build-your-own-laptop kit, soon could enable users to learn computer programming, designing and 3D-printing skills. The Pi-Top team recently released details on its construction of a prototype computer. The developers plan to use the model in a Kickstarter campaign to generate funding for the project.

Pants on Fire, Schmidt Tells Climate Change Denier ALECSeptember 23, 2014
Google on Monday publicly denounced the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council for lying about climate change. "We funded them as part of a political campaign for something unrelated," Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt told a caller to NPR's Diane Rehm Show. "I think the consensus within the company is that was sort of a mistake. We're trying to not do that in the future."

DoD and Tech Firms Face Daunting Health-IT ChallengeSeptember 22, 2014
The U.S. government is about to embark on a major IT program dealing with personal health records. The program is being launched by the U.S. Department of Defense, which issued a request for proposals to health IT providers late last month. The initiative is expected to support medical readiness for DoD's military personnel, as well as its beneficiaries and health system personnel.

Gadget Ogling: Amazon on Fire, Virtual Reality, True Nature and Energy ReliefSeptember 20, 2014
Apple might be the flavor of the minute as new iPhones hit stores, but Amazon isn't ready to let its rival hog all the limelight. Without a flashy presentation, it unveiled a half-dozen new Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers. There's a 6-inch Fire HD tablet priced at $99 and a 7-inch version for $139. The Fire tablets are reliably solid machines, and those are fantastically enticing prices.

Soft Super-Suit Could Make Soldiers StrongerSeptember 16, 2014
A new, flexible robotic suit funded by the U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency could enable soldiers to walk longer distances with less fatigue and also improve mobility for disabled civilians. Called the "Soft Exosuit," the biologically inspired device is made of flexible textiles woven together into a piece of smart clothing that is worn under a soldier's regular gear.

Medical Trials to Test Usefulness of Apple's HealthKitSeptember 15, 2014
Stanford and Duke Universities reportedly will use Apple's HealthKit in medical trials.
Doctors at Stanford are working with Apple to let physicians track blood sugar levels for children with diabetes, while Duke is developing a pilot program to track blood pressure, weight and other measurements for patients with cancer or heart disease. The programs will roll out in a few weeks.

Google Buys Developer of Tremor-Canceling TechSeptember 12, 2014
Google has purchased Lift Labs, which produces battery-operated utensils that make it easier for people with tremors to eat their meals. Parkinson's and ET patients' hands shake, making it difficult for them to eat or drink. Lift Labs' products, offered under the "Liftware" name, cancel more than 70 percent of tremors. Lift Labs also is working on attachments for painting and craftwork.

Will Ferrell Calls On Gamers to Launch Cancer AssaultSeptember 10, 2014
Comedian Will Ferrell on Wednesday announced an effort to battle cancer by giving gamers a chance to participate in a two-hour gaming event with him. The Indiegogo initiative aims to raise $375,000 for nonprofit organizations Cancer for College and DonateGames, by asking gamers to contribute at least $10. One randomly selected giver will win the opportunity to play games with Ferrell on Oct. 26.

Apple Brings ItSeptember 09, 2014
Apple on Tuesday rebuilt its iPhone foundation by introducing two new models with Retina HD displays: the iPhone 6 at 4.5 inches, and the iPhone 6 Plus at 5.5 inches. It launched Apple Pay, which promises to become the catalyst NFC mobile payment technology needs to become mainstream. Plus, it introduced the drool-worthy Apple Watch in two sizes, three style collections, and six choices of straps.

Can Cook Stir Up That Old Black Magic?September 08, 2014
Excitement is mounting as the countdown to Apple's mysterious Tuesday event ticks away.
Apple is widely expected to unveil two new iPhones -- one in the usual smartphone form factor and the other a phablet. There's also a good deal of anticipation for an iWatch or other stylish wearable that will kick the sector into high gear. Some expect Apple to go full blast into the healthcare industry.

Scientists Fire Up Brain-to-Brain Instant MessagingSeptember 05, 2014
It's a trivial matter to send a message to someone halfway around the world these days, but just imagine trying to do it without speaking or writing. That is just what a team of neuroscientists and robotics engineers recently achieved in an experiment that successfully transmitted a message directly -- and noninvasively -- from the brain of one person to that of another some 5,000 miles away.

Google Ratchets Up Quantum Computing EffortsSeptember 05, 2014
Google this week announced a hardware initiative to design and build new quantum information processors based on superconducting electronics. The effort is related to the launch last year of its Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab. Physicist John Martinis, winner of the 2014 Fritz London Memorial Prize, leads a group of UCSB scientists who will collaborate with the Google team.

Big Pharma Joins Google's Quest for Aging AntidoteSeptember 04, 2014
Pharmaceutical giant AbbVie on Wednesday announced it was teaming up with Google-funded Calico, the life sciences initiative aimed at helping patients deal with diseases and other negative effects associated with aging. Under the terms of the partnership, both AbbVie and Calico will invest up to $250 million in the project, with the possibility of another $500 million each.

NASA's Opportunity to Lose Total Recall, Gain Spotless MindSeptember 03, 2014
The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration next month will reformat the flash memory of the Mars exploration rover Opportunity. Opportunity's been undergoing computer resets with increasing frequency -- it had 12 in August alone. Recovery from each of the resets takes one to two days, which means the rover was out of action for most of the month.

Digital Clone: You Won't Be Able to Live Without OneSeptember 01, 2014
A very interesting book just hit the market. Written by Martine Rothblatt -- apparently she is America's top paid female CEO -- its title is Virtually Human: The Promise -- and the Peril -- of Digital Immortality. The subject is digital clones, and Rothblatt goes into depth about what they are, when they are coming, and the likelihood they eventually will have equal human rights.

Gadget Ogling: Sapphire Phones, Waterproof Reads, Connected Hats and a Runner's SalvationAugust 29, 2014
A current trend among smartphone makers is to thrust a sapphire screen onto the face. Among the 17 million rumors regarding the next iPhone is that it will feature such a display -- the camera and Touch ID components already feature sapphire. Until Apple reveals the truth about its next smartphone, other manufacturers, like Huawei, are jostling for sapphire-embossed market share.

Ralph Lauren Takes a Swing at Fitness TechAugust 28, 2014
Ralph Lauren this week merged the tech and fashion worlds with a new smart Polo shirt. Knitted into the Polo Tech shirt's core are sensors that read biological and physiological information. The company partnered with Msignal to develop a "black box" that includes an accelerometer and gyroscope, which capture movement and direction. Data is captured and sent to the cloud for analysis.

Hacker Attacks on Healthcare Providers Jump 600 PercentAugust 28, 2014
The recent data breach at Community Health Systems, in which Chinese hackers stole the personal information of 4.3 million patients, was another sign of a disturbing trend: Healthcare providers are coming under cyberattack at an alarming rate. "We've seen a 600 percent increase in attacks on the healthcare sector in the last 10 months," said Carl Leonard, senior manager at Websense Security Labs.